Internal-combustion engine



y E. R. BURTNETT INTERNAL co'MBusToN ENGNE Filed July 6, 192.2 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 @www .Y E f, 7 9 w 6 Patented Qct. 21, 1924. y y y p l UNITED lnvlimitar n.

BURTNETT, vor* yLos ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, l n c y `(mamans A. BURTNETT, or Los-ANGELES; cALImRNIA.

INTERNALCOMBUSTINENGIN Application 'ieii'iiily @1922". 'seiiaiini. $73,102.ir

To all'wbomz't may concern; y i Be it known that I, Ev'mmr'r RJBUiiTNErin' a citizen ofi the United,States,fresiding"at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and yState of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Internal-'Comf bustionv Engines, of which the y,following ,is a specification. i j i l My invention relates generally to internal combustion engines and more specifically to a constant'jinert volume, fuel mixturey stratiication engine. Y v P The'. principal ,objects of my* invention are, to' provide an linternal combustionleiif give of the four cycle principle havingy means for admitting to the combustion chamber, durin the suction or admission stroke of the piston and through' thefsame valve means thatis utilized for the exhaust of the spent 3:ases,A an inert charge, either free air orV cooledr products ofcombustion and to provide means 'for suliiplyinga` variable proportion .of pre-compressedkggaseous fuel j thatQ enters f the combustion chamber through an index valve'during thelatten portion andatthe end of the inlet v,or suction stroke land which charge ,offgaseous fuel constitutes a volume that i'sfadditional to the inert piston displacementfvolume drawn into the combustion chamber/during the ysuction stroke.

A further object of my invention )isY provide 'an engine having a selector piston `that functions y to providey an alternating v sametime maintaining constant inertcharge l V ltheline of-:Figure 1;

passage registration between the combined inert charge and exhaust valve;` the inert charge manifold or means of. inerticharge supply,` and the exhaust manifold ori'outlet pipe, said piston selector, by virtue of the construction of its upper portion,fun`ction ing as a superchargei' or prey-co'm'pressorl to the combustion chamber andv providing' a strangulation throttlecontrol of lthe engine inconnection with conventional {or} Vother means of volume control Vof the fuelfmixf ture supply-to ,the supercharger and .at the volume to the combustion chamber.

A further object of my inventionlfisgfto withy an inert volume duringfthefsuction stroke ofthe iston and whichfinert charge enters the com ustion chamber Without*variation or column movement restriction.

the yline 3-.3` of `Figure 1;

`obj of' my (invention arev 'to PIvlde 'anengine governed bythe propor- "tio'n 'of fuel miXturesuper-supplied or'folced into: the( cylinder under pressure after" the cylinder `hasy filled with aninert charge at atmosphericpressure,- and to vprovide a relatively,y simple and practical structure in which the yfuelmixture inducted/to the cylindeiunder pressure, is maintained in sep?` i f arate'forundilutedvolume prior to its igni` tion, `thereby providing a constant inert volzume and fuelmixture stratificationengine.`

r`Further objects i .of my invention aref c to provi dey an engineiwhe'rein the exhaustvalve isfcooled by a constant volumefof cool inert charge' that yenters the .cylindertlirough or past said valve, such "action takin'gpjlace im`` mediately 'succeeding each exhaust, action andsaiduexlaustvalve being actuated' by a tvvo",'strokey 'duration cam; and-furth'er to providefanfe'ngine having two poppet type valv'es,"one remaining open, for the duration of theexhaust and inlet stroke so as prfovide" an outletforthe hot spentfgases and an `inlet forfthe complete 4filling ofthe cylinder with inert' airor products of combustion, and the other yopeningfor any desired durationor'timd but preferably during the latter portimy ofthe inlet stroke inorder tol admit the required vamount f gaseous fuel andvvhich splatter' lies ina stratum on top koftheQinert 'volume of air or products offcombustion.i" j t v l" `With the foregoing and yother,objects in View Amyinvention consists in certain novel features of combustion and arrangement ofy 'parts vthat will be hereinaftermore fully described and'claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings in/vvhichf l Figure is a `l vertical section taken through ythecenter of one ofthe cylinders 0f my .m'PrQVed @Heil-le` Y f f v .,Fi re 2 yisla verticaly section takenapproximatelyy on the line 2 2 of-Figurel ;I`

Figure is a horizontal sectiontaken on AssIGnon oF ONE-'HALF To 'v Figurefi is a horizontal section taken von rigue 15. @detail sectinif view of the valve actuating cams, and showing their construction and relative kposit1ons.;

Referring by numerals to the accompanyl and connected to the latter. in the usual manleo ner is -the lower end of a pitman 14, the upper end of which is connected in` the` usual manner to a piston 15 that is arranged for operation within the cylinder 10. The upper portion of the piston chamber wlthin the cylinder constitutes a combustion chamber 16. and the Wallof the upper portion of the cylinder is" provided zwith 'a chamber `17 through which is adapted to circulate ka {iuid cooling medium, such as water.k c

Formed in the upper portion of cylinder 10 land communicatlng with the combustion chamber 16 is a substantially circular eX- haust Valve chamber 13 and a substantially circular gaseous fuel inlet chamber l19, and formed between the latter chamber and the combustion chamber 16 is an inwardly pro jecting deflecting wall 20., thereby fornvling a relatively narrow opening 2l between the gaseous fuel 'inlet chamber 19 and thepexhaust chamber 18. f n 't f The Vtop of cylinder 10 is closed by a suitable head 2 2, and' removably positioned therein immediately above the inlet andvexhaust chambers are plugs V23 and 24, respec# tively, which latter, when removed, render the inlet and exhaust valves readily'accessible. Relnovably arranged in the plug 23 isa spark plug 25, the terminals of the electrodesI of which are positioned 'in cham# ber 19. l A Formed integral witlior fixed tothe cylinder 10 is a manifold selector valve housingy 26, the axis of which is disposed at an angle relatively to the'axis of the cylinder 10, said housing 26 being in the formV of an open ended cylinder and arranged jon the top thereof is avsupercliarging cylinder 27 closed at its upperend by a head 28.

Leading from a compressed gaseous fuel outlet portv 29 in` theupper portion of the cylinder 27 downwardly through ahousing '30 that is formed on the. side of cylinder 27, is a duct 31, the lower end of which communicates with a horizontallyr disposed duct 32 that isy formed in the upperl portion 'of cylinder 10, the inner end o'f said duct 32 communicating with the bottom of the inlet chamber 19. v I

An inlet valve 33 isarranged on a seat between thepo'rt 32'and chamber 19,* said `valve being arranged on the upperend of a stem 34, which latter is arrangedforoperation in a suitably located bearing 35,and associated with the lower portionjof this Valve stem is a spring 36 that acts to normally, retain said yvalve upon its seat. Leading from the intermediate portion oftheV chamber within' the cylinder to the boi-, r

of this duct and said exhaust chamber is f r-an exhaust valve 38- that controls the exhaust of burnt products of combustion from the combustion chamber, and likewise lthe inlet of inert. air or cooled products of co1nbustion into the combustion chamber during 'the suction stroke of the piston. This valve is carried by the upper end of a stem 39 that is arranged for operation in a suitably loca-tedbearing 40,I and associated with the lower portion of said valve stem is a, spring 41 that acts vto normally retain. said valve upon its seat. v Y f Formed through the ou'ter portion of the wall of "cylinder 26, and diametrically opposite to the lower end of ductg37, is an exhaust port 42 from which leads an exhaust pi )e 43. Locatedy in the outer portion of the wall of the cylinder 26 and a short distance below the outlet port 42 is an inlet port 44 for inert air or cooled products jofcombustion,v which latter may be Adrawknfrom a suitably located container through a tubular connection, such as 45.

' .Arranged for reciprocatory movement within the cylinder 26 is a substantially cylindrical manifold selectorv 46 carrying at its upperend a piston 47 that is arranged for operation within the superchai'ging cylinder 27, and formed in the intermediate portion of this manifold selector is a diametrically arranged port or passageway'48, theV ends of lwhich are adapted "to register 4with port 42 and theflower end of duct 37 to provide an outlet passageway for the eX- haust products of combustion during the exhaust stroke'of the piston. y

, Formed in the upperportion ofthe manifold selector is a chamber 49, the lower portion of which communicates with the port 48 through'small openings 50, and formed adjacent to the outer ed e of theinner one of these openings are de ector lips or flangesv 51 thataredeslgned to direct a' portion of the', products of combustion upwardly through theY chamber 49 so as to raise the temperature thereof and consequently raise thetfemperature of the gaseous fuel charge that n' is pre-compressed Within the supercharging cylinder 27.

Formed through the lower portion of the manifold selector cylinder is a duct 52, the upperend thereof occupying asubstantially hlgher plane than the outer end, and the upper end of this duct is adapted to register with the lower end of duct 37 when the cylinder is atl the upper end of its stroke, and at this-time the lower end of said duct 52 is adapted to register'with port44'. The lower portion of the manifold selector cylinder'46 is vconnected by a pitman 53 to the crank o-f'ia combined crank and cam shaft 54,v the Alatter being journaled linSuitable bearings vin thel upper portion ofthe crank case, said shaft being driven at half thespeedy of engine shaft The driving connections from the shaft 13 to shaft 54 may be of any desired form, either gearing orfa sprocket chain operating on vsprocket wheels of suitable size.

Formed on this shaft 54 is a cam 55 having an eccentric or high portion 56of ysuch length as to retain the exhaust valve 38 open during two strokes of the piston of the engine, and bearing on the peripheryof this cam is the lower end -of ahpin or plunger 57 that'is mounted for vertical reciprocation in a suitably located bearing 58, the upper end of said pin or plunger carrying an adjustablepn'iember 59 that is engaged ,by the lower end of the stem 39. i i

Formed on the shaft 5'4 below the' inlet valve stem 34'is a cam 60, having a relatively short highportion 61, and bearing on the surface of this cam is the lower end of a pintor plunger 62 that'is journaled for reciprocatory movement in a suitable bearing 63. Adjustably seated in the upper end of this pin is a member 64 uponwhich bears the lower end of the inlet valve stem 34.y

portion of cylinder 27 is an annular housing 65 that encloses a duct 66, the/latter extending partially around the cylinder 27,'y its inlet end being connectedy by a tubular member 67 to a suitable' source of gaseous fuel supply,

referably' a carburetor. yOpenings 68v are ormed through the wall of cylinder 27 and establish communication between the duct 66 and the chamber within the supercharg-- ing cylinder.

The operation of my improved internal combustion engine is as follows: ,l v

With the parts in the positions illustrated in Figure 1, piston 15 is at its high center atk the end of its compression stroke and a com' pressed stratified charge of fuel, inert air and products of combustion from the previously ignited charge is compressed within the chamber 16, and as the gaseous fuel was the last portion of the chargey to enter the combustion chamber, said fuel completely lills the pocket or chamber 19 directly above the inlet valve 33.

As the piston passes its high center a spark f is produced ybetween the terminals of ther electrode or plug 25, thereby igniting they compressed charge, and the force of the resulting ignition is directed on to the top of the piston 15 to move the same downwardly on its power stroke. As before stated, the

ycombined crank and cam shaft 54 operates at half the speed of crank shaft 13, and said shaft 54 krotates in the direction indicated by the arrow in Figure 1.

Owing to the arrangement ofthe crank of shaft 54 relativeto the position'rof crank 13, the manifold selector 46 is moving through uw naar half f itsfdwward travel y'while the piston 15 is movingiydownwardly'onvits power stroke, and when said rpiston reaches its low center,`immediately succeeding itsV valve38, and on the 'succeeding'- upward stroke of piston 15 and while port 48 is grad-` ually moving upward with yrespect to port,

42andcduct 37 the products ofcombustion within the combustion chamber `are being forced out throughk chamber V18,l .past open exhaust valve39 through duct 37, ports 48 and 42 and through exhaust pipe 43. p

As the burnt gases and products of .com-

bustion are thus'forced, through port` 48 av small amount of said burnt gases will be de flectedy upwardly by the lower one of the lips 51 so .that a ,certain amount of said `burnt*A gases will circulate through chamber 49, `thereby heating the latter and through ra-v diation heating the supercharging cylinder 27. As piston 15 reaches its high center sub- Formed integral with the Intermediate sequent to its exhauststroke the lower edge of port 48 passes outiof registration with the' upper edges of port 42 and duct 37 and immediately the upper edge `of, the upper endof .duct 52 registers with and passes the lower edge of duct 37 and simultaneously the; upper edge` of the lower end of duct 52 registerswith yand passes ther4 lower edge ofA Durinfr this action, and while piston 15 is movinv' tiont o? itsv suction stroke exhaust valve 38 is held open bythe highV portion 56 of cam 55 and while duct 52 is in registration with port 44 and duct 37 a volume ofinert air vorr cooled products of combustion from a suitable container will be drawn throughtube 45, port 44, duct 52, duct 37, past open check valve 38 into chamber 18, and this volume of inert air will force the products of combus,

tion remaining inthe combustion chamber 16 downwardly through the piston clearance within cylinder 10 so that following such action a stratum of products of combustion will lie immediately against the head of the piston 15. Overlying this stratum of prod-` ucts of combustion is a stratum of inert air or cooled products of combustion. As pis,v 'ton 47 on the upper end of the manifold se downward through the greater ,porf

lses

pressed the upper portion of the chamber within the c linderand within the ducts' rior to the time the piston 15 reaches its low' center on its" suction stroke the point 61 of cam 60 engages pin or plunger 62, thereby lifting the same and in turn lift-fy Thus at the completion l of l thev suctionA stroke of the piston, ay stratum of gaseous fuel'occupies the chambers 19, 18 and 16 and a port-ion `ofsuch s tratlun overlying the stratum of inert air, which latter in turn overlies the stratum of burnt `'products of combustion. Immediately following this action, inlet valve 33 lcloses and on the followin upward' stroke of piston 15 the stratified volume willv be compressed within the cham-f bers 16, 18 and 19 and asthe pistonpasses its high center the vgaseous fuel 'ort-ion of the compressed charge will be ignited inthe usual manner'b aspark produced between the terminalso the electrodes of plug 25.

Thus it Will be'seen that 'I have yprovided means for pre-compressing and ysupercharg-'ing gaseous fuell into Vthe combustion chamber subsequent to the adi'nission'` of a volume of inert air or cooled products of combustion, the latter being4 admitted directly on top o'fa relatively small volume of products of combustion that remains in the combustion chamber after theI previous ignition of the 'combustible charge, which arrangement providesy a constant inertl volume .and fuel -mixture stratificationA englne. t

`My improved engine is relatlvelysimple in construction, comprises 'a minimum number of operating parts that may be readily assembled or taken apart, may be' operatedl economically from the standpoint of fuel consumption Vandmaybe advantageously employed wherever high! speed rotary mo-y tion and power are desired.

Itwill be understood that vminor changes in the size, form'and construction ofr the various parts'of vmy improved engine may be made and substituted for those herein shown and described without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An intern-al combustlon enginehaving inlet and exhaust poppet valves, means for holding the exhaust valve openI during two strokes of the piston of the engine, and means for admitting inert air past theopen exhaust valve during one of the strokes of the piston of the engine.

for admitting inert air past the open exhaustA valve duringone of thev strokes of the piston of the engine,and.means for opening they inlet valve to admit aseous-fuel during the same stroke of the plston of the engine.

3. An internal'combustion engine having inlet and' exhaust poppet valves, means for holding the Vexhaust valve open Aduring twol strokes of the piston of the engine' to permit the exhaust of burnt products of combus ltion from the combustion chamber and to admit to said combustion chamber' avolume of inert air or wcooled'p'roducts' of combustion, and means for holding` the inlet valve open. during the admission of apre-compressed charge ofgaseous fuel on top` of the volume ofy inert air 'taken' intoV the vcorn.- bust'io'nvchamber of the engine.y Y V- 4. Anlinternal combustion engine'havin inlet and exhaust poppet valves, a manifold selector (3o-operating with said valves, for controllingthe exhaustof burnt products of combustion from said engine and the admission of inert air` into the combustion chamber of the engine, a' supercharging cylinder enclosing one end of saidmanifold selector and a piston carried lby said mani-v fold selector and-arranged for operation.

within said supercharging cylinder.

5. The combination with an internalcombustion engine, of a Amanifold yselector ar-r ranged for operation infproper'ftime relation 'to the movements of the piston` ofV the engine for controlling the exhaust ofvburntv products of combustion from the engine for the admission of inert air-to the combustion chamber of the engine on top of the stra-.tum ofv products of combustion remaining-in the combustion chamber :subsequent tothe exhaust strokeof the piston, and means associated with said manifold selector for. effectin operation 'of a charge 'of gaseous fuel, w ich llatter is inducted into the combustion chamber of the engine subsequent to theV admission of the volumey of inert air into the combustion chamber in said engine.

6. In an internal combustion engine, a manifold selectory having Y a `gaseous fuel compression pistonv at one end, lthere being a productsof combustion circulation charnber formedv in said manifold selector Vadjacent to said piston.

k7. In an internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber, means including a manifold selector and anexhaust valve for permitting the exhaust of burnt products' of combustion from the combustion.

combustion chamber, means including said4 manifold selector and an inlet valve for admitting a charge of gaseous fuel into the combustion chamber on top of the inert air within said combustion chamber, and means associated with said manifold selector' for pre-co1n ressing the charge 4of gaseous fuel admitted) to said combustion chamber.

9. The combination with an internal combustion engine having the usual combustion chamber andI piston, of a selector piston arranged tooperate at half the speed of the engine, and said piston being provided with ports that are adapted to alternately register with the exhaust port 0n the engine, and means associated with said selector piston for pre-compressing gaseous fuel charges and forcing the same under pressure into the combustion chamber of the engine.

10. An internal combustion engine having a combustion chamber, inlet and exhaust valve chambers, a' selector chamber and a fuel supercharging chamber, said selector chamber and supercharging chambers being in communication with the combustion chamber, poppet valves for controlling communication between said selector chamber, said supercharging chamber and said combustion chamber, a selector piston arranged for reciprocwtory movement within said selector chamber, and a piston carried by said selector piston and arranged for operation within the supercharging chamber.

11. An internal combustion engine provided with a combustion chamber and with inlet and exhaust valve chambers, a poppet valve controlling the passage: of products of combustion and inert a'ir tli'rough'the ex haust chamber, a poppet valve for, controlling the admission of gaseous fuel to the inlet valve chamber, and a selector piston arranged for operation at half the engine speed and co-operating with said inlet and exhaust valves.

12. An' internal combustion engine provided with a combustion chamber and with inlet and exhaust valve chambers, a poppet valve controlling the passage of products of combustion and inert air through the exhaust chamber, a poppet valve for controlling the admission of gaseous fuel to the inlet valve chamber, a selector piston arranged for operation at half the engine speed and co-operating with said inlet and exhaust valves, and means co-operating with said selector piston for compressing the charges of gaseous fuel with air admitted to the combustion chamber past .the gaseous fuel inlet valve.

13. In an internal combustion engine, an inlet valve, an exhaust valve and a selector piston, which valves and selector piston cooperate to control the exhaust of burnt products of Icombustion from thel combustion chamber of said engine, the admission of inert air into said combustion chamber and the admission of gaseous fuel charges into said combustion chamber, and a combined crank and cam shaft for operating said inlet and exhaust valves and selector piston.

14. In an internal combustion engine, an

. inlet valve, an exhaust valve and a selector piston, which valves and selector piston cooperate to control the exhaust of burnt products of combustion from the combustion chamber of said engine, the admission of inert air into said combustion chamber and the admission of gaseous fuel charges inrto said combustion chamber, a combined crank and cam shaft for operating said inlet and exhaust valves and selector piston, and means for operatin said combined cam and crank shaft at ha f the speed of the en 'ne shaft.

testimony whereof I have signed my name to this ication.

E RETT R. BURTNETT. 

